Sliding closure for a metallurgical vessel

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a sliding closure for a metallurgical vessel, comprising at least two fireproof closure plates ( 3, 4, 5 ) that can be pressed against each other and can each be clamped in a plate frame ( 7, 8, 9 ) by means of clamping jaws ( 10, 11, 12 ) that can be actuated by means of an eccentric unit ( 15 ). In order to actuate the clamping jaws ( 10, 11, 12 ), the eccentric units ( 15 ) are each provided with a rotary part ( 151 ), which has an upper and lower eccentric ( 28  and  29 ) and a centering pin ( 30 ), which is supported in the plate frame ( 7, 8, 9 ), wherein the one eccentric ( 28 ) acts on the clamping jaw ( 10, 11,  or  12 ). Advantageously, the upper eccentric ( 29 ) interacts with a part ( 34 ) of the plate frame ( 7, 8, 9 ) in such a way that the upper eccentric is pressed against said part ( 34 ) in a clamping direction in the outer region ( 36 ) of the upper eccentric when the clamping jaw ( 10, 11, 12 ) is released. Thus, a plate exchange can be performed safely.

The invention relates to a sliding closure for a metallurgical vessel according to the preamble to claim 1.

As is well known, sliding closures of this type serve to control the outflow of molten mass from a metallurgical vessel by the central closure plate being shifted relative to the two other stationary closure plates. During operation the fire-proof plates are subjected to a large amount of wear and have to be replaced relatively often. For this purpose the slider lid is released from the housing and is then opened up, by means of which the closure plates become accessible, and after the release of the clamping jaws that retain them can be replaced with new plates.

After the plate exchange the slider lid is closed again and is clamped against the housing with clamping means suitable for this purpose. However, with the known sliding closures there is a risk that the closure plates will strike against one another when the lid is closed so that their sliding surfaces and edges are damaged and have a negative impact upon the functional capability of the sliding closure.

In contrast, the object of the invention is to devise a sliding closure of the type specified at the start that makes it possible to exchange the plates quickly and without any disruption and thereby guarantees gentle handling and secure clamping of the fire-proof closure plates.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of claim 1.

In order to actuate the clamping jaws the eccentric units are each provided with a rotary part which has an upper and lower eccentric and a centring pin which is supported in the plate frame, wherein the one eccentric acts on the clamping jaw.

Very advantageously the lower eccentric can be shaped as a spiral, whereas the upper eccentric interacts with a part of the plate frame in such a way that in the released state self-retention that exceeds the force of gravity is generated between the two.

In this way the closure plate can be inserted into the plate frame without any problem because in the released state the lower eccentric remains in position in the released state and does not block the clamping jaw.

Furthermore, means, in particular hinges, are formed by two hinges attached to the one longitudinal side of the sliding closure, spaced apart from one another, upon opening up and closing the slider lid the hinge leaf fastened to the latter being able to be shifted relative to the hinge leaf fastened to the housing translationally to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates.

By means of this construction it is possible, when exchanging plates, to move the slider lid parallel to the housing and so to shift the closure plates translationally in parallel alignment to their sliding surfaces so that one avoids any stressing of the closure plates that could lead to damage to their sliding surfaces or edges.

By means of the arrangement of the hinges on the one longitudinal or transverse side of the sliding closure, the clearance required for the opening up and closing of the lid is very limited, the closure plates, including the eccentric units, being totally accessible for actuating the clamping jaws when the lid is opened up.

Within the context of a hinge design that is simple from the manufacturing point of view it is advantageous if the hinge leaf that is fastened to the housing is preferably provided with a hinge pin that is guided in a guide groove of the other hinge leaf that is aligned perpendicularly to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates. However, within the framework of the invention it is also possible in principle to vary the arrangement so that the hinge pin is attached to the hinge leaf of the slider lid, whereas the hinge leaf fastened to the housing is provided with the guide groove for the hinge pin.

It is advantageous here if the hinge pin is cylindrical, but is flattened on both sides, sliding without any play within a correspondingly calibrated region of the guide groove in the flattened region, while being able to rotate freely in a round hole adapted to the diameter of the hinge pin at the lower end of the guide groove. This design of the guide groove makes it possible to shift the slider lid perpendicularly to the working surface of the plates and also to swivel the lid in and out about the axis of rotation of the hinges.

Furthermore, the invention makes provision such that when opening up and closing the lid the clamping means for the slider lid also serve to shift the lid perpendicularly to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates and are preferably formed by clamping screws arranged in pairs between the hinges on both longitudinal sides of the sliding closure.

The clamping screws are suspended in U-shaped holders of the housing and can be swivelled into U-shaped profiled flanges of the slider lid, having on their free end a threaded part with a clamping nut sitting on the latter, which clamping nut can be pressed against the flanges of the slider lid in the swivelled in position. The four clamping screws generate an all-round even clamping force that ensures that during operation the closure plates are also pressed against one another evenly.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings. These show as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sliding closure according to the invention with the slider lid opened up;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sliding closure according to FIG. 1 with the slider lid closed;

FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are part of the sliding closure according to FIG. 1 in three stages of the opening and closing process, in section;

FIG. 6 is a detail of the hinge according to FIG. 3, illustrated perspectively;

FIG. 7 is a section of an eccentric unit of the sliding closure according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a rotary part of the eccentric unit according to FIG. 7, illustrated perspectively,

FIG. 9 is a top view of the eccentric unit according to FIG. 7, with the clamping jaw released; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of the eccentric unit with the clamping jaw clamped.

A sliding closure according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 serves to regulate the molten mass, in particular molten steel, flowing out of a spout of a metallurgical vessel. The vessel is normally a tundish or a ladle of a continuous casting line.

The sliding closure consists of a housing 1 with a slider lid 2 hinged on the latter and three fire-proof closure plates 3, 4, 5 lying in between, during operation the central closure plate 4 being able to be shifted between the two stationary closure plates 3, 5, and in this way the outflow opening 6 of the sliding closure being able to be throttled or closed.

The closure plates 3, 4, 5 are clamped in plate frames 7, 8, 9 with clamping jaws 10, 11, 12. One must ensure that they are inserted and clamped so that they do not lie at an angle. Since these closure plates that come into contact with the liquid steel are subjected to a high degree of wear during operation, they must be replaced relatively often. In order to enable accessibility to the closure plates the slider lid 2 is kept so that it can be opened up. For this purpose it is hinged on the housing 1 with two hinges 13, 14 spaced apart from one another on the one longitudinal (or transverse) side of the sliding closure.

During the plate exchange manually actuatable eccentric units 15 serve to release and clamp the clamping jaws which enable perfect positioning of the plates. After the plate exchange the slider lid 2 is closed again and is clamped against the housing 1 with two pairs of clamping screws 16, 17 arranged on the longitudinal side. These clamping screws can be swivelled into U-shaped holders 18 of the housing and into U-shaped profiled flanges 19 of the slider lid and the nuts 20 can be pressed against the flanges 19.

In the operating position of the sliding closure the plate frame 11 of the central closure plate 4 is coupled to the actuation rod of a hydraulic cylinder 21. By actuating the hydraulic cylinder it can be shifted between the two stationary closure plates 3, 5. However, disruption-free function of the sliding closure is only guaranteed if the sliding surfaces of the closure plates that are in contact within one another are in a perfect condition.

So that the closure plates 3, 4, 5 do not suffer any damage during the plate exchange, the hinges 13, 14 are constructed according to the invention such that after closing the slider lid their articulation axis can be shifted perpendicularly to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates, as illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5.

The hinge leaf 23 fastened to the slider lid 2 is provided with a hinge pin 24 that is guided in a guide groove 25 of the hinge leaf 22 fastened to the housing 2.

The hinge pin 24 is cylindrical in form, but is flattened on both sides in the region of the guide groove 25, being guided without any play in a correspondingly calibrated region 26 of the guide groove perpendicularly to the working surface of the sliding closure. At the lower end the guide groove 25 has a round opening 27 the diameter of which corresponds to that of the hinge pin 24 so that the latter can rotate freely in this position in order to swivel out the slider lid 2 after releasing the clamping screws 16, 17.

The described construction of the hinges 13, 14 is associated with the advantage that during the plate exchange the sliding surfaces of the closure plates 3, 4, 5 are shifted parallel to one another after the opening and closing process. As a result, upon shifting the slider lid 2 against the housing 1 by means of the clamping screws, the sliding surfaces of the plates approach one another in parallel and so the edges are prevented from touching any of the sliding surfaces, and the plate exchange can be implemented quickly and without any disruption without damaging the closure plates.

Provision is made here such that the sliding lid 2 is formed such that it can only be closed to the point at which it is positioned approximately parallel to the housing 1 so that the closure plates are not already touching one another at the edges before clamping, and for this purpose corresponding abutment surfaces are provided on the U-shaped holders 18 of the housing 1 or the slider lid 2 and correspondingly face-side corresponding clearance surfaces 1′, 2′ are provided on the housing and on the slider lid.

The eccentric units 15 for actuating the clamping jaws 10, 11, 12 are also constructed for the purpose of disruption-free plate exchange. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, they each comprise a rotary part 15′ each with a lower and an upper eccentric 28 or 29 and a circular centring pin 30 that is guided rotatably within an opening 31 of the plate frame 7, 8 and 9.

Furthermore, there is assigned to each of the rotary parts 15′ an axially aligned rectangular bore 32 through which a correspondingly profiled actuation pin 33 is passed by means of which it can be rotated with an appropriate tool.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the eccentrics 28 and 29 are arranged relative to one another so that the lower eccentric 28 acts on the clamping jaws 10, 11 and 12, while the upper eccentric 29 interacts with a part 34 of the plate frames 7, 8 or 9 provided as a covering plate.

In the position with the clamping jaw released according to FIG. 9 there is a gap 35 between said clamping jaw and the lower eccentric 28, while in the outer region 36 the upper eccentric 29 is pressed without any gap against the covering plate 34 in the direction of clamping.

In contrast, in the working position with the clamped clamping jaw according to FIG. 10 the lower eccentric 28 is pressed without any gap against the clamping jaw 10, 11 or 12, while there is a gap 37 or 38 between the upper eccentric 29 and the covering plate 34 in the direction of clamping so that it is positioned in the part 34 with play.

According to the invention the eccentric units 15 are constructed so that with the released clamping jaw the self-retention generated by the upper eccentric 29 against the covering plate 34 exceeds the force of gravity of the eccentrics so that during the plate exchange the closure plates can be replaced without any problem because the lower eccentric does not rotate in the released state, and consequently does not block the clamping jaw.

The eccentric units 15 according to the invention are easily accessible immediately after opening up the slider lid and so contribute to the plate exchange being able to take place swiftly and without any disruption.

In the exemplary embodiment that is described, the three eccentric units 15 are identical in form. However, the same construction principle can needless to say also be applied with eccentric units with different dimensions. The eccentrics could also be arranged so that the upper eccentric interacts with the clamping jaw, while the lower eccentric interacts with the part of the plate frame.

The invention is sufficiently demonstrated by the above exemplary embodiment. However, it could needless to say also be illustrated by other variations. Thus, in principle, only two closure plates could also be provided, one in the housing and one in the lid such as to be displaceable.

In principle just one hinge according to the invention could also be provided, but three could just as well be provided, depending on the size of the sliding closure. 

1. A sliding closure for a metallurgical vessel, comprising at least two fire-proof closure plates (3, 4, 5) that can be pressed against each other and can each be clamped in a plate frame (7, 8, 9) by means of clamping jaws (10, 11, 12) that can be actuated by means of an eccentric unit (15), characterised in that in order to actuate the clamping jaws (10, 11, 12) the eccentric units (15) are each provided with a rotary part (15′) which has an upper and lower eccentric (28 and 29) and a centring pin (30) which is supported in the plate frame (7, 8, 9), wherein the one eccentric (28) acts on the clamping jaw (10, 11 or 12).
 2. The sliding closure according to claim 1, characterised in that the upper eccentric (29) interacts with a part (34) of the plate frame (7, 8, 9) in such a way that when the clamping jaw (10, 11, 12) is released, this upper eccentric is pressed against this part (34) without any gaps in the direction of clamping in its outer region (36).
 3. The sliding closure according to claim 1, wherein the upper eccentric interacts with the part of the plate frame such that in the released state, self-retention that exceeds the force of gravity is generated between the upper eccentric and the part of the plate frame so that the respective eccentric unit remains in the released state.
 4. The sliding closure according to claim 1, wherein when the clamping jaw is clamped, the lower eccentric is pressed against said clamping jaw, while there is a gap between the upper eccentric and the part in the direction of clamping so that it is positioned in the part with play.
 5. The sliding closure according to claim 1, wherein the rotary part of the respective eccentric unit has a coaxially located polygonal bore into which a corresponding polygonal pin is insertable respectively in order to rotate said rotary part insertably.
 6. The sliding closure according to claim 1, further comprising a housing and a slider lid hinged on the housing with at least one hinge and at least two, preferably three fire-proof closure plates that are pressable against one another between the housing and the slider lid, wherein the at least one hinge is formed such that after closing, the slider lid is guided relative to the housing translationally to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates.
 7. The sliding closure according to claim 6, characterised in that two hinges (13, 14) are allocated on the one longitudinal or transverse side of the housing (1) spaced apart from one another, after closing the slider lid (2) the hinge leaf (23) fastened to it being able to be shifted relative to the hinge leaf (22) fastened to the housing (1) perpendicularly to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates.
 8. The sliding closure according to claim 7, characterised in that the hinge leaf (23) fastened to the slider lid (2) is provided with a hinge pin (24) that is guided, such as not to swivel, in a guide groove (25) of the other hinge leaf (22) that is aligned perpendicularly to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates.
 9. The sliding closure according to claim 7, wherein the hinge pin is cylindrical, but is flattened on both sides, sliding without any play within a correspondingly calibrated region of the guide groove in the flattened region, while being able to rotate freely in a round hole adapted to the diameter of the hinge pin at the lower end of the guide groove.
 10. The sliding closure according to wherein clamping screws, arranged in pairs, for clamping the slider lid to the housing, are provided on both longitudinal sides, preferably between the hinges, after closing the lid being guided correspondingly parallel to the working surface while being clamped.
 11. The sliding closure according to claim 6, characterised in that the clamping screws (17) are suspended in U-shaped holders (18) of the housing (1) and can be swivelled into U-shaped profiled flanges (19) of the slider lid (2), having on their free end a threaded part with a clamping nut (20) sitting on the latter, which clamping nut can be pressed against the flanges (19) of the slider lid (2) in the swivelled in position.
 12. The sliding closure according to claim 6, characterised in that face side corresponding abutment surfaces are provided on the U-shaped holders (18) in the housing (1) or on the slider lid (2) so that the latter can only be closed to the point at which it is positioned approximately parallel to the housing so that the closure plates are not touching one another at the edges when swivelled shut.
 13. The sliding closure according to claim 2, wherein the upper eccentric interacts with the part of the plate frame such that in the released state, self-retention that exceeds the force of gravity is generated between the upper eccentric and the part of the plate frame so that the respective eccentric unit remains in the released state.
 14. The sliding closure according to claim 13, wherein when the clamping jaw is clamped, the lower eccentric is pressed against said clamping jaw, while there is a gap between the upper eccentric and the part in the direction of clamping so that it is positioned in the part with play.
 15. The sliding closure according to claim 2, wherein when the clamping jaw is clamped, the lower eccentric is pressed against said clamping jaw, while there is a gap between the upper eccentric and the part in the direction of clamping so that it is positioned in the part with play.
 16. The sliding closure according to claim 3, wherein when the clamping jaw is clamped, the lower eccentric is pressed against said clamping jaw, while there is a gap between the upper eccentric and the part in the direction of clamping so that it is positioned in the part with play.
 17. The sliding closure according to claim 2, wherein the rotary part of the respective eccentric unit has a coaxially located polygonal bore into which a corresponding polygonal pin is insertable respectively in order to rotate said rotary part insertably.
 18. The sliding closure according to claim 3, wherein the rotary part of the respective eccentric unit has a coaxially located polygonal bore into which a corresponding polygonal pin is insertable respectively in order to rotate said rotary part insertably.
 19. The sliding closure according to claim 2, further comprising a housing and a slider lid hinged on the housing with at least one hinge and at least two that are pressable against one another between the housing and the slider lid, wherein the at least one hinge is formed such that after closing, the slider lid is guided relative to the housing translationally to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates.
 20. The sliding closure according to claim 2, further comprising a housing and a slider lid hinged on the housing with at least one hinge and at least two that are pressable against one another between the housing and the slider lid, wherein the at least one hinge is formed such that after closing, the slider lid is guided relative to the housing translationally to the sliding surfaces of the closure plates. 